TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Against the backdrop of 13 deaths reported at Goa Medical College and Hospital due to suspected oxygen shortage between 2 am and 6 am on May 14, the Goa government on Friday informed the High Court of Bombay at Goa that no complaints of drop in pressure came to the fore.
“In last 24 hours from 8 am of May 13, 2021 to 8 am of May 14, 2021, a total of 62 oxygen trolleys have been supplied at the GMC. In addition, a total of 600 jumbo cylinders and 47 small cylinders were also supplied. The undersigned (Health Secretary Ravi Dhawan) and Dr Tariq Thomas, Secretary (UD) were personally present from 10 pm till 5.45 am to monitor the situation at the new manifold site, and no complaints were received by us during this period about drop in pressure,” states the 2-page status report to the high court that came in response to High Court’s order on petitions on COVID-19 management in Goa.
Regarding installation of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) tank, the report mentioned that the storage tank has been arranged by the government from Praxair India Pvt Limited and transported it from Bicholim to the GMC new COVID manifold site.
“The erection work of the tank is underway and the civil works required for installation of the tank will be completed by today evening, that is May 14, 2021. Piping and welding of the gas pipelines will be completed by May 15, 2021 and purging and other safety checks of the installation would be carried out on May 16, 2021. The LMO tank is expected to be operationalized by May 17, 2021,” it said further.
After the Court’s rap over the government’s submission that expert tractor drivers to transport oxygen trolleys are difficult to find, the State arranged for eight trained drivers from Kolhapur along with two additional high-powered tractors for ferrying the oxygen trolleys between the plant and GMC. Of these, five drivers reached on Friday afternoon and have been deployed, remaining three drivers arrived late evening and deployed in shifts.
Arrangements have also been made for refilling of oxygen cylinders for home use. The report stated that as directed by the Court, the government has detailed the facilities available and functional on a 24X7 basis to facilitate refilling of oxygen cylinders for Covid patients and NGOs for use of Covid patients only in genuine cases.
On the installation of dura cylinders, two were obtained from Scoop Oxygen Pvt Limited and with the help of technical support from Oxy Nitro, the same were deployed at the new COVID manifold site at around 6 pm on May 13, 2021.
“After their commissioning and observation of their performance over a 12 hour period of high demand in the night, it may be concluded that while dura cylinders were useful in helping prolong the duration of oxygen supply from a given trolley, they do not act as an alternative. Despite this limitation, by helping prolong the duration of supply from trolley they help reduce the change over time and thus are useful,” said the report.
